Scrap Metal Theft in Chicago

"Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself."
William Shakespeare

Last month I wrote about Scrap Metal Theft. This month CBS Chicago reports that thieves are stealing air conditioner units for the metal value.

"They work silently, leaving no trace behind. A Chicago neighborhood is on alert after the number of thefts of air conditioning units have jumped sharply in recent weeks. The robbers are after the copper inside, which they can resell for scrap, a favorite quick money-making method for drug addicts. But they're not just cracking open the units and plundering the pipe, they're lifting the entire central AC unit."

NBC Chicago reports that,

Some 100 orphaned cats and dogs living in a Chicago animal welfare center are in danger heading into the expected-to-be-hot weekend after vandals either stole or destroyed all of the building's main air conditioning units Thursday evening.

The shelter will need $20,000 to replace the A/C.

Bottom Line

"Residents have taken to enclosing their air conditioning in thick cages with multiple locks. If you live in an area where AC theft is a concern, you should also lock up the disconnect box to make it harder to get to the AC."